In any profession it is important to politically support candidates that support the issues that are important to that industry. Such is the case with Pharmacy in Rhode Island, and we are pleased that Representative Patricia Serpa – West Warwick, District 27; Representative Joseph McNamara – Warwick, District 18; and Senator William Walaska – Warwick, District 30 all were re-elected and will return to the General Assembly in January. Thank you to all the pharmacists residing in those districts who supported these three General Assembly members with their votes.
In her first year in the House, Rep. Serpa made passage of Immunizations by Pharmacists her number one legislative priority and brought a tremendous passion to the debate. Rep. Joe McNamara who is Chairman of the House Health, Education and Welfare Committee, worked with Rep. Serpa to assure that Speaker of the House William Murphy understood how important passage of this legislation was to pharmacists and those citizens who would benefit from increased access. Both Rep. McNamara and Rep. Serpa were critical in mitigating the concerns voiced by heath care organization who in the past had successfully blocked passage.
Senator William Walaska, Chairman of the Senate Corporations Committee was a powerful voice on the Senate side in convincing Senate President Joseph Montalbano that our legislation was long overdue.
The legislation was passed in the 2007 session, regulations were promulgated in January 2008 and the first pharmacists became certified within months of the regulations being approved. We have hit a stumbling block though because currently, the three major health insurance companies are not recognizing pharmacists as providers of immunizations so our success has been somewhat blunted. The RIPA has initiated discussions with the medical directors of these companies and we remain hopeful that this issue will be resolved by the next flu season. We are fortunate that Rep McNamara, Rep. Serpa and Senator Walaska have been re-elected because all three have once again promised their voices if the debate needs to be settled legislatively.
We are also very happy to see that the only pharmacist serving in the General Assembly, Senator Leo Blais from Coventry was re-elected. While Senator Blais is unable to lobby his colleagues on behalf of pharmacy issues because of a conflict of interest, he is a steady voice of reason and information and we are very pleased that the voters in Coventry feel the same way.
Lastly, while it is wonderful that our supporters of pharmacy are returning, it is critical that we continue to expand our relationships at the State House. Legislators visit your pharmacies just as any other citizen does, and these are important opportunities to help them understand the roll that pharmacists play in the healthcare arena far past simply counting pills. Take a moment to find out not only who your legislator is, but also find out who the legislator that represents the area your pharmacy is located. If you don’t know, this link http://www.sec.state.ri.us/vic/ will provide you with the information you need. If the legislator happens to be a patient, take time the next time they come in to let them know you appreciate the work that they do for all Rhode Islanders. They hear criticism all the time, so a little praise will go a long way. It will also give you the opportunity to let them know a little more about your profession as well.
